A moving mesh approach to an ice sheet model

A moving mesh approach to the numerical modelling of problems governed by nonlinear time-dependent partial differential equations (PDEs) is applied to the numerical modelling of glaciers driven by ice diffusion and accumulation/ablation. The primary focus of the paper is to demonstrate the numerics of the moving mesh approach applied to a standard parabolic PDE model in reproducing the main features of glacier flow, including tracking the moving boundary (snout). A secondary aim is to investigate waiting time conditions under which the snout moves.